Message To The Community

Healthcare and hospitals continued to experience a volatile year in 2012. New London Hospital faced many ofthe same challenges all hospitals across the state continue to manage: decreased reimbursement, increasing volumes of uninsured patients and the effects of legislative action that threaten the ﬁnancial security of small and large institutions. Through all of the uncertainty, our commitment to provide the highest quality healthcare to the community always remained our priority. Despite the demands brought by the economy, New London Hospital continues its proud service to our families and friends in the towns of Andover, Bradford, Croyden, Danbury, Elkins, Goshen, Grantham, Lempster, New London, Newbury, Newport, Springﬁeld, Sunapee, Sutton, Washington, and Wilmot.

We are pleased to share these notable achievements of our recent ﬁscal year, which ended on September 30, 2012.

We accomplished several signiﬁcant milestones in our patient safety healthcare technology implementation: complete implementation of the provider electronic medical record (EMR) in both the New London primary care practices and the pediatric practice; successful implementation of e-Prescribing, allowing providers to enter prescriptions directly into the computer. The prescription travels from the provider’s computer to the pharmacy’s computer; complete implementation of the hospital’s computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) and Medication Reconciliation technology, which increases patient safety in the Emergency Department and inpatient unit; successful achievement of all Stage I Meaningful Use objectives to meet the federal government’s mandatory attestation period of 90 days. This accomplishment allows the hospital to receive a signiﬁcant incentive because the objectives were met in 2012; launching the implementation of the EMR at Newport Health Center.

As a result of the healthcare technology improvements mentioned above, New London Hospital was named As a result of the healthcare technology improvements mentioned above, New London Hospital was named “Most Wired – Small and Rural Hospital” by the Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, the journal of the American Hospital Association. Only 25 hospitals in the country received this award. NLH is the ﬁrst Critical Access Hospital in New England to ever receive this award since its inception fourteen years ago.

Over 500 NLH employees attended educational sessions as part of the Patient & Family Centered Care initiative.

We added MRI services on Saturdays with a wide bore unit, making the procedure more comfortable for patients with claustrophobia.

The MRI unit joined digital mammography, CT scan and ultrasound diagnostic equipment in being awarded a three-year term of gold seal accreditation for its level of image quality and patient safety from the American College of Radiology.

The NLH Diabetes Self Management Education Program was awarded the prestigious American Diabetes Education Recognition Certiﬁcate for its high quality program self-management initiative.

NLH participated in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Expedition on Improving Patient Transitions in the Rural Healthcare System.

NLH is one of 22 NH hospitals participating in a nationwide patient safety and quality of care initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) as part of the Partnership for Patients Initiative of the Department of Health & Human Services. The Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) project is working on reducing hospital-acquired conditions and decreasing hospital readmissions over the next two years.

We successfully implemented the 340B Drug Pricing Program, a federal statute that requires drug manufacturers to sell outpatient drugs to eligible health care centers, clinics, and hospitals at a reduced price. By saving on drug prices, the goal is to expand healthcare services access to low income individuals and families and other vulnerable populations.

The hospital completed a successful Critical Access Hospital survey in August. This survey is conducted every three years by CMS.

We served 1,613 new patients.

Jeffrey Powell, MD received the 2012 Physician of the Year Award from the NH Hospital Association.

James Murphy, MD and Steven Powell, MD accepted the position of Chief Medical Ofﬁcer as a shared function.

Michael Willitts joined NLH as the Administrator of the Clough Extended Care Center, and Margie Lim-Morison was appointed Senior Director of the Provider Practices for both New London Hospital and Newport Health Center.

On May 6th, NLH and the New England National Guard held an Emergency Preparedness Drill to test emergency response capabilities.

The 7th annual Grand Gala, 9th annual Golf Tournament and 88th annual Hospital Day/Triathlon, combined with generous community support, contributed to a very successful Annual Fund. Many thanks to the more than 1,200 families, individuals, businesses and foundations that supported NLH with philanthropic gifts this year.

A $700,000 anonymous gift to New London Hospital has been designated by the Board to establish a community wellness initiative. NLH is in the early planning stages of the initiative.

Several Trustees and staff attended donor receptions in Florida in March, hosted by generous NLH supporters.

Volunteer service to the hospital totaled more than 9,200 hours, with a value of over $199,300.00. The Friends of New London Hospital also contributed countless hours supporting a variety of community-based programs. We deeply appreciate the gifts of time and talent that our volunteers provide each day.

We continue to study the options for the expansion and renovation of the Newport Health Center as part of our strong ongoing commitment to the Newport community.

We continue to work with the seven towns served by New London Hospital Ambulance to ﬁnalize operational contracts.

New London Hospital Association achieved a strong ﬁnancial performance during FY 2012, exceeding its budget for operating and total margin and strengthening its ﬁnancial position.

New London Hospital deeply appreciates the support of the community and the trust you place in us for your healthcare.